I was at the store last night and ran into my friend Andrew who I hadn't seen for a while.  During the course of our conversation I asked him about a paper I heard he had been working on comparing the carbon footprint of food locally produced and delivered in small vehicles vs. food that travels long distances, but in big trucks.  The analysis was still being completed but here's what I got from the conversation:  little trucks from local farms are better, but the farm better be pretty close.  Yes, the big trucks use far more fuel, but they can also carry so much more that they are actually far more efficient in the long haul.  

    Fuel miles aren't the only reason that buying local makes sense though.  Buying local has a positive effect on our local economy, our local ecology, and our sense of community too; and I mean community on a very personal level.  I spent the last ten years working on farms that had CSA (community supported agriculture) programs.  CSAs are a wonderful way for consumers to have a direct connection to their food.  They are also a wonderful way for the farmer to enjoy the direct support of the community.  Farming is difficult, physically demanding, poorly paid work but it can be incredibly rewarding when the product is beautiful food that is delivered directly to appreciative consumers.  The CSA concept was pioneered in Japan where the word for it means farmers with a face.  It works best when there is the face to face interaction and that is one of the really rewarding parts of growing for a CSA and of being a member.

    Farmers markets are another good option for supporting local growers, face to face.  Here there is less of a direct commitment between the farmers and the consumers, or the producers and the co-producers if you like, but there is still a direct connection.  For some people this works better because there is typically more choice involved, and for some farmers, who grow fewer crops, or prefer less administration and coordination of farm membership, and less pressure to be consistent through the year, it is also a preferable system.  Many of those farmers also sell direct to co-ops, regional wholesalers, and larger groceries that feature local and regional produce.  For the farm there is almost no marketing necessary in these situations, although there is a certain level of volume that is required, and thus size of farm.  Marketing can be a major expense when selling at farmers markets and through CSAs.

    Another rapidly growing local market is restaurants and caterers.  In the seven years that I worked at Sauvie Island Organics we saw the demand for local produce from restaurants explode.  The introduction of local food into catering companies like Bon Appetit, who provides food for local universities and corporate campuses, is a completely new development as well.  That growth is due to a recognition of the higher quality possible from local products by chefs, and the demand by consumers (see, you really are co-producers).  

    Your choice to support local producers by buying directly, or through markets that carry local produce, is what keeps small, local farms in business.  Without that support it would be impossible for the patchwork of small farms surrounding the city to exist, and without them the landscape would change.  There is constant development pressure on farm land surrounding urban areas and without direct community support for the farms there would be little way for farms and planners to resist that pressure.  Open space surrounding the cities would be developed, limiting wildlife habitat, increasing runoff into waterways, diminishing air quality.  

    Just as carbon credits are becoming big news and a popular tactic for fighting global warming, investing daily in produce from local farms can have a major impact on the environment.  From the potential reduction in transportation and storage energy, to investment in the local economy, to the preservation of open space, natural waterways, and wildlife habitat in the landscape, buying from local producers, producing seasonal products, in environmentally appropriate ways is a win win for everyone

 

Here are some resources for buying (or producing your own) local food: